Shark Eye moonsnail, Polinices duplicatus

One of my favorite finds on the beach is the shark eye (Polinices duplicatus) moon snail shell.. though seldom do I find it intact.If the eye looks nice, I usually add it to my collection. I found a particularly beautiful blueish swirled shark eye (below) and some of the other moon snails I've found featured in this entry.

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Shark EyeNeverita duplicata (Say) (=Polinices duplicatus)Description: (3 1/2 inches) Smooth, globe-shaped shell with a small spire. Resembles a shark's eye because line winds around the spire. Umbilicus almost covered by a large, buttonlike lobe. Large elliptical aperture. Horny operculum.Color: Bluish brown or purplish gray with a gray umbilicus, brown callus and a light brown semitransparent operculum.Habitat: Lives offshore. Commonly washed onto sound and ocean beaches.Range: Cape Cod, Mass to Texas.Notes: Also called Atlantic moonsnail. A carnivore, it is a very active predator that burrows rapidly through sand to find prey. It attacks other mollusks, including relatives, by using its radula and acid secretions to drill a beveled hole through the prey's shell. This species leaves tracks over sand in low tide. Females lay eggs under "sand collars," which they form out of mucus and sand grains; these can often be found on beaches during the summer. Young are free swimming.Source: Seashells of North Carolina, North Carolina Sea Grant College Program